Feds clear way for Gettysburg Electric Map sale

Visitors watch the Electric Map at what was then the visitor center at Gettysburg National Military Park in May 2007. (EVENING SUN - FILE)

Public outcry over plans to dispose of a nostalgic Gettysburg battlefield attraction appears to have been successful.

Federal authorities have approved a waiver request, allowing the popular Electric Map of the battlefield to be sold at auction.

Gettysburg National Military Park officials had previously planned to destroy the massive 12-ton map because it contained asbestos and was considered outdated.

"This is absolutely wonderful," said Brendan Synnamon, president of the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association. "Millions of people have fond memories of that map and are interested in seeing it displayed again."

The Park Service declined to comment on the approval granted Thursday. But a news release stated that Gettysburg National Military Park would work with the U.S. General Services Administration to determine details of the sale. More information will be available in the future.

Still, approval of the waiver request proved a victory for locals bent on preserving the 1960s-era map.

"Our hope is that it stays local," Synnamon said. "We've been talking with some organizations about raising funds to procure it."

Park Service officials say the once-prized interpretive device has been made obsolete by exhibits, films and other programs offered at the new Gettysburg Museum & Visitor Center. The map depicts troop movements with hundreds of miniature light bulbs, and the Park Service says it's too large, 29 feet by 29 feet, to be housed in the new visitor center, which opened in 2008.

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Preservation of the map was also made difficult because it's designated as a "hazardous material" because of asbestos fibers contained in the plaster coating. General Services Administration guidelines typically call for such items to be buried at a site approved for the disposal of hazardous materials.

"I can't imagine that it's going to sell for a lot of money because of the expense of restoration and transporting it," Synnamon added.

Synnamon has considered updating the map with modern technology, perhaps using holographic images or projections to show troop movements during the battle, he said.

But a large part of the map's attraction was its low-tech appeal. Years after its closure, it remained dear to many longtime battlefield visitors, and people reportedly still ask to see it. In fact, a website was launched to garner support to save the popular attraction.

When the park announced about a month ago that it was considering disposing of the map, the plans were met with strong opposition from battlefield enthusiasts.

The map's plaster surface contains about 3 percent friable asbestos, according to a chemical analysis. That's a relatively small amount of asbestos, officials say, and if such levels were found in, say, floor tiles, homeowners typically would not replace them.

But the problem is that the plaster is crumbling and the asbestos fibers could easily become airborne and inhaled by people visiting the attraction, according to officials.

General Services Administration officer Robert Kitsock inspected the map and found it to be in "very poor condition," according to a letter he sent to Bob Kirby, superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park.

The map and its small amphitheater were added to the park's old visitor center in 1963 as part of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the battle.

At the old visitor center on Taneytown Road, the map could be viewed by the public for $4 a ticket. Park officials ultimately decided not to reopen the exhibit at the new site on Baltimore Pike. They cited a lack of interest from the public and an opportunity for new technology.

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